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Measured on six things

How to Pronounce English Words using AI voice pronunciation and helpful text.

Growth

A real problem for ESL learners with specific differentiators (US/UK comparison, adjustable speed, phonetic respelling). But the category is crowded with free alternatives like Forvo and Cambridge Dictionary.

Screenshots

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How To Pronounce It

About this app

How to Pronounce English Words using AI voice pronunciation and helpful text.

Key features

1US and UK audio pronunciations for 72,000+ words with adjustable speed.
2IPA transcription and phonetic respelling with syllable stress highlighting.
3Word of the day, saved word lists, and guides for commonly mispronounced words.

Target customer profile

Drawn from the product itself, not from a survey.

Demographic

ESL and EFL learners studying English as a second language

Pain points

Uncertain about syllable stress and sounds not present in native language

Primary needs

Clear slow audio, phonetic respelling, and US/UK comparison

Demographic

Teachers, tutors, and language instructors preparing lessons

Pain points

Hunting for reliable, free pronunciation references for classroom use

Primary needs

Instant word lookup, IPA, and commonly mispronounced word guides

Demographic

Non-native professionals, presenters, and voice or content creators

Pain points

Fear of mispronouncing names, jargon, or borrowed words in public

Primary needs

Quick pre-meeting checks, saved word lists, and stress guidance

Demographic

Curious readers and students encountering new words in text

Pain points

Seeing unfamiliar words in writing before ever hearing them spoken

Primary needs

Fast lookup of any word with definition and example sentence

Scout Review

Written by AI from measured evidence, scored out of 100.

HowPronounceIt is a fast, well-designed pronunciation tool for ESL learners. It offers US/UK audio, IPA, phonetic respelling, and adjustable speed across 72,000+ words. The design is clean and the speed is excellent, but the page is repetitive and the popular words section feels unfinished. Security is adequate but not enforced, and accessibility is strong but undocumented. Growth is the weak point: the category is crowded with free alternatives, and the differentiators are incremental. It's a competent tool that needs a sharper edge to compete.

Measure by measure

Usability

Search-first hero with clear filters and a three-step explainer makes the core flow obvious. The FAQ is generic and the page repeats the same value proposition in multiple sections, adding cognitive load.

Design

Clean, consistent card-based design with a strong green accent system and clear visual hierarchy. The word-of-the-day card is polished, but the popular words list feels unfinished and the page is text-dense below the fold.

Speed

Lighthouse scores 100/100 on both mobile and desktop with LCP 1.1s, CLS 0, and TBT 0ms. The site is genuinely fast and lightweight, with no user complaints about lag.

Security

HTTPS is not enforced and SPF/DMARC are missing, but HSTS, CSP, frame protection, and other headers are present. No compliance certifications or security page found.

Accessibility

Lighthouse accessibility score of 98/100 with only a heading-order issue. No WCAG statement or a11y page found, but the site is responsive and keyboard-navigable.

Growth

Improvement areas

HTTPS not enforced and SPF/DMARC missing — security headers need tightening.
Popular words section is a flat list of plain text links with no visual treatment.
Homepage repeats the same value proposition in multiple sections, adding cognitive load.

Design & Usability

HowPronounceIt has a clean, consistent design system with a strong green accent and well-structured cards. The word-of-the-day module is the highlight — it shows US/UK pronunciation side by side with stress dots and a sample sentence. The search-first hero is intuitive, with clear filters for accent, voice, and speed. However, the page repeats the same value proposition in multiple sections, and the popular words list is a flat grid of plain text links that feels unfinished. Usability is solid for the core flow, but the FAQ is generic and the page could be tighter. Overall, it's a competent, above-average execution that just needs some editing.

Speed & Security

Speed is the standout: Lighthouse scores 100/100 on both mobile and desktop, with LCP 1.1s and zero layout shift. The site is genuinely snappy and lightweight. Security is more mixed — HSTS, CSP, and frame protection are present, but HTTPS is not enforced and SPF/DMARC are missing. There's no security page or compliance certification, which is typical for an early-stage tool but still a gap. For a free pronunciation tool, the security posture is adequate but not impressive. The speed alone makes it worth using, but don't expect enterprise-grade security.

Accessibility & Growth

Accessibility scores 98/100 on Lighthouse, with only a heading-order issue. The site is responsive and keyboard-navigable, but there's no WCAG statement or a11y page, which is a missed opportunity for a tool aimed at language learners. Growth potential is moderate: the problem is real and the target customer is specific (ESL learners, teachers, professionals), but the category is crowded with free, established alternatives like Forvo and Cambridge Dictionary. The differentiators — adjustable speed, phonetic respelling, US/UK comparison — are useful but not a moat. The domain is brand new, so traction is minimal. It's a solid idea that needs a sharper wedge to stand out.

Conclusion

If you're an ESL learner who wants a quick, free way to hear a word in both American and British English with clear stress guidance, HowPronounceIt is a solid choice. It's faster and cleaner than many dictionary sites, and the adjustable speed is genuinely helpful. But if you need deep definitions, etymology, or a community of native speakers, you're better off with Cambridge Dictionary or Forvo. This is a good tool for a specific job — just don't expect it to replace the incumbents anytime soon.

Suggestions for improvement

Enforce HTTPS and add SPF/DMARC records to close the remaining security gaps.
Add an accessibility statement and fix the heading-order issue to reach 100/100.
Redesign the popular words section with cards or hover states to match the rest of the design.
Trim the repetitive sections on the homepage and make the FAQ answers more specific.

How we score

Alternatives comparison

Named competitors, point by point. Nobody paid to appear here or to be left out.

	How To Pronounce It	Forvo	Cambridge Dictionary	YouGlish
Audio pronunciation	US and UK AI voice audio with adjustable speed	Crowdsourced native speaker recordings across many languages	UK and US audio pronunciations with IPA	Real YouTube clips showing words in context
IPA transcription	Yes, with phonetic respelling and syllable stress	Limited, not a core feature	Yes, detailed IPA for UK and US	No
Definitions and examples	Yes, with example sentences	No, pronunciation only	Yes, comprehensive definitions and examples	No, context clips only
Free to use	Yes, completely free	Yes, free with ads	Yes, free with ads	Yes, free
Adjustable playback speed	Yes, slow/normal/fast	No	No	Yes, video playback speed